CONCENTRATION Part 2: Levels of Concentration.
Mike Ihezuo
I want to congratulate you because I know you’ve started PRACTICING, PRACTICING, PRACTICING concentration. You need DISCIPLINE. My book THE TIME YOU’RE LIVIN’ IN: LIVING SUCCESSFULLY IN 21ST CENTURY Chapter 13 can help you further.
Let us look at the levels of concentration, perhaps stage–wise which are;
– Attention
– Contemplation
– Abstraction
– Activity in Repose.
At first, thoughts are arrested from another thing or wanderings. The thought (mind) is fixed upon that object, which is the arrestor, the task at hand. This stage is what you term ATTENTION.
The mind is roused into very vigorous thoughts concerning the way of proceeding. This is called CONTEMPLATION.
Protracted contemplation leads to a condition of mind in which the doors of the senses are all closed against outside/
The mind (seat for thoughts or thinking) thus centred in deep thinking (profound cogitation) reaches a state in which the maximum of work is accomplished with minimum of friction. This is ACTIVITY IN REPOSE.
Are you following?
1. ATTENTION. If you fail in getting stage 1 (attention), you fail in everything. This is the domain of the lazy, the thoughtless, the lousy, the indifferent and the incompetent. Here, work and mind are separate.
2. CONTEMPLATION. When attention is sustained by awakening of the mind you’re in stage 2 (contemplation)
To ensure success in all ordinary, or worldly undertakings [note my word: worldly, ordinary], it is not necessary or a big deal to go beyond this stage 2. Many professors, doctors, engineers, accountants, army of ‘educated’, skilled and competent careerist, politicians and workers who carry out the daily activity of our world of what can be over 95% end here in stage 2. Why? The mind and the work are separate [yet in the same being]. We can either remove the man’s mind from the work OR remove the work from his mind.
3. ABSTRACTION. Only comparatively small insignificant number out 7.7billions on earth make it to stage 3 (abstraction). When here, you have entered sphere of genius. Welcome fellow genius! In stages (1) & (2), work is done more/less LABOUROUSLY, with some degree of friction. (Friction means: bone to bone contact, metal to metal contact). In stage (3) a marriage takes place: marriage of work + mind, a FUSION, a UNION OF WORK AND MIND, and the 2; work and mind became one: then there is a superior efficiency with less labour and friction.
At best, that is at the perfection level of the first 2 (stage 1 & 2), the mind is OBJECTIVELY engaged, and can and is easily be drawn from duty, i.e from centre of concentration by external sights and sounds (distraction); but when the mind has attained perfection in stage 3 (abstraction), the SUBJECTIVE method of working is accomplished (distinct from objective). The thinker is there oblivious to the outside world (distraction) but is vividly alive “mindly” i.e. in mental operations. If spoken to here in stage 3, he will not hear. You need to use force to pull his mind outside.
4. ACTIVITY IN REPOSE, stage 4. Hmmm; let’s meet LIVE in your organization. Tell your CEO & Call:
Mike Ihezuo is a quintessential researcher, author, writer, speaker and consultant in Leadership, Management, Entrepreneurshi
